Raw Protein Smoothies

Lately I've really been digging my hemp protein powder from Nutiva. I have two flavors, chocolate and berry, but I mostly use my berry kind. I've been doing a lot of running and DVD workouts lately...I also try to do a situp-program whenever possible (I've already managed to make it up to 91 situps...almost 100!) Even though it's the heart of winter where I live, after a good workout a cold, smoothie is what I crave! I ran 5 miles today, the first time in a long time, so that felt really good. I'm making it my goal to train without stopping, just to slow down my pace when I need it...so I was speeding along. FELT SO GOOD! I love it when you just feel in the GROVE for running. Before that I did 20 minutes of interval training and I'm pretty sure housework counts as part of your fitness outtake. ;0)

Here's a couple smoothies that I've been loving lately! I even posted the nutritional info along with it...I personally find it very helpful and fun to track my protein and fibre intake...I don't care too much about carbs, fat, or sugar (as long as it's generally on the healthy side, lol), but I like to know I'm taking in enough of the other two.

SMOOTHIE #1.

1/2 cup blueberries, frozen

1 banana

4 TB. raw hemp protein powder (I used berry flavour, but it really doesn't matter)

1 TB. flaxseed

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup raw almond milk

Blend and top with bee pollen for extra energy.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:

Calories: 358

Total fat: 6.9g (mind you, this is the HEALTHY fats we NEED!)

Carbs: 71.8g

Fibre: 16.7 (which is really good for a shake!!!)

Sugars: 43.4g

Protein: 11.8g

SMOOTHIE #2.

1/4 cup apple juice

1 TB. coconut oil (I used Efa Gold brand)

1/3 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 banana

4 TB. hemp protein powder

1 TB. flaxseed

1/4 cup almond milk

BLEND and top with sparkly, blue manna flakes for extra super food power...or drink as is. :0)

NUTRITIONAL INFO:

Calories: 392

Fat: 19.5g

Carb: 50.5

Fibre: 13g

Sugars: 28.1g

Protein: 8.3

This is our winter wonderland and our beautiful house our family built ourselves...

Lip Care

One of my pet peeves is dry, flaky lips...I just hate the feel of it...plus, it doesn't look too nice...especially after you add some lip color. Completely an unpolished look. Anyway, pet peeves aside...it's something I barely ever deal with, even with the extra dryness of winter where I live.



Here's my secrets:



1. I read once, ages ago, that models use this trick all the time. They brush their lips with a wet toothbrush to exfoliate them. It's good not only for sloughing off any dry skin, but for boosting circulation as well. Not only that, it because of the stimulation it makes your lips just a tad bit bigger...(grin)



I do that every evening and always have very smooth lips.



If doing that with a toothbrush doesn't appeal to you...just mix a little sugar with olive oil and rub it on your lips...




2. I'm a lip balm/gloss addict...one of my little loves and always has been. I'm constantly smearing on lip balms...and I have them for every occasion. Lip balm with SPF for outside, tinted, natural very day wear, lip glosses with shea butter balm... intense balms for bedtime rehydration. No dry lips for me!



Here's one of my favorite, favorite lip balms...this is the one I put on, every night, before bed. It's just so rich and hydrating, that even in the morning, I feel like there's still some on my lips.



It's by the Merry Hempsters, a vegan body care company. I have the orange one (love orange!) and totally recommend it, especially if you're into vegan, all natural companies and bodycare.

Resolutions

It's that time of year again...reevaluation, goal setting, planning, and since I'm an organizer-driven person I am...I'm really excited to start making some lists, a fitness calender, some charts...yah, you call me a bit nutty, but hey! That's how I am...

We all have dreams. In order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline and effort.
~Jesse Owens

Getting inspired and hope you are too,

Charis

Merry Christmas!

"Immanuel, God with us!" I'm SO grateful to God that He sent His son...so that we could have His Holy Spirit with us and in our hearts! His Presence in my life is so precious to me!

Now I'm off for an evening of family fun...and watching of a Christmas Classic, "It's a Wonderful Life"! Can't have a proper Christmas without that!

This is going to be such a special Christmas (they all are!), but I'm looking forward to the special family time together! Hope you all are having an amazing Christmas with your friends, family, and loved ones!

Dry Skin Helpers

I don't know about anyone else, but I've been having crazy dry skin this last month or so...I guess it's the dry winters that we have here.

Here's some things that have helped me with the common, winter skin:

• I used to get irritated, flaky skin by my eyes and couldn't figure it out...then I realized that it was because I was taking my eye makeup off with harsh soap. My solution: Coconut oil...this works WAY better than any typical, store bought remover and hydrates your the sensitive skin around eyes at the same time.


• Baking soda! When my skin actually looks so dry it has flakes, this is my perfect answer! It leaves your skin super soft. Just be gentle when you use it as it can be irritating if you scrub too hard or too long. Be sure to moisturize afterwards with a dollop of olive or coconut oil. Wipe off excess with a tissue.


• Washcloth! Use it gentle, circular motions on your face and it should do what the baking soda does...slough off the dead skin cells.


• Do a little spa treatment. Here's one that I do occasionally, and yes, it sounds a little odd. I first scrub my face with baking soda. Then I steam my face with a hot washcloth for about 30-60 seconds. After that I put Miracle Whip on my face until it's dry and gummy. (I know, it's weird...here's a blog post I did on it a while ago). Then I rub and wash it off. Then you just moisturize with a good face lotion. Wala! Smooth, moist skin!

Two more tips for you!

1. Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. You have to moisturize from the inside out!

2. Try an MSM lotion with is repairing, renewing, and super absorbent. Here's one I like which I got from Raw Guru. Alex has a great site there, totally recommend looking it up!

3. Make sure you get enough fats in your diet...coconut, avocado, olives, yogurt...you get the idea. If you don't get enough dietary fats it will show up in your skin.

Balancing Meals

When I came home, I decided that I really didn't get a lot of protein in my diet...I just don't crave protein as much as other things...so I've been working on trying to incorporate more protein in my meals and snacks.

The shakes above is one of my attempts at this...I bought these...and I love them! They're an all raw product that is simply loaded with fibre and protein (two VERY important things!), plus heaps of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. I tried to buy them at Nutiva, but they only ship American so I ended up getting them at Vitacost, which is a Canadian health food discount site. The people at Nutiva were super nice too, very helpful...in fact, they were the ones that told me to try Vitacost, which ended up being a better deal for me anyway.

They have 3 flavours and I got the Berry and Chocolate version. My sister bought the one below, the Amazon Acaii. Frankly, I don't feel their flavour is really tasty in of themselves, but since I put the hemp protein in with frozen fruit and almond milk anyway, it ends up tasting very good. The chocolate one isn't as good as the berry ones...but it's actually more high in fibre than the fruit flavours. What I do is add cocoa powder to the shake when I use it and it is then converted from flat to fantastic. I often like to add raw, organic maca powder to these smoothies too.

Chocolate Hemp Smoothie (you could also just use the original Nutiva hemp powder too, if that's what you have, just add more cocoa)

2-4 TB. Nutiva chocolate hemp powder

1 heaping TB cocoa powder (or carob, if you like that flavour)

1 frozen banana

1 tsp. raw, organic maca

about 5-8 oz. raw almond milk (depending how thick you like it)

2 ice cubes

Blend to your heart's content...

Optional: top with bee pollen, add coconut or flax oil for some healthy fats, or top with hemp seeds or cacao nibs (my favorites with a chocolate shake!)

We're back!

Me and my sister Anne-Marie

Wow, it's been a while, but we came back from a really special, amazing music tour...but it's great to be home again.

I actually came home with the H1N1, which in my experience, was the worst flu I've ever had...took me a while to get over that...I guess when you travel a lot you get exposed to lots of bugs and viruses...anyway, I feel great now! :)

So now, I'm just getting used to life at home again...trying to get back into a routine of healthy eating...I try to eat as healthy as I can on the road, but it's a lot easier at home...

I'll try to post in the next day or two about some fun stuff. Till then...